Government support | Employer support

Job Retention Scheme   to 31.10 |  from 1.11

C-19 Job Retention Bonus

• Coronavirus: Employer-provided PPE and testing

  HMRC have advised that if an employer provides employees working in COVID-19 high-risk environments with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and coronavirus tests it will not be a taxable Benefit In Kind.

   

  Despite issuing guidance to the contrary earlier this week, HMRC have now confirmed that Coronavirus tests provided by the government as part of its national testing scheme will not be a Benefit In Kind (BIK) for tax purposes and no Income Tax or Class 1A NICs will be due.

   

  • Equally where employers provide testing kits to employees outside of the national testing scheme, whether directly or by purchasing tests to be carried out by a third party, there will also be no BIK.
  • SI 2020/1293 will apply for all tests provided on or after 8 December 2020 until the end of the tax year 2020/2021. Tests provided earlier than that will be taxable under the aforementioned HMRC discretion.
  • This applies only to antigen tests (testing for current virus infection) and not antibody tests (testing for previous infection).

   

  Where employees are working in a situation where the risk of Coronavirus transmission is very high and the employer risk assessment shows that PPE is required, the employer must provide PPE to employees and this will be non-taxable.

   

  • Where an employee requires PPE to carry out their role and the employer cannot provide it, such that the employee purchases it themselves, the employer must reimburse the actual cost to the employee. This is non-taxable, meaning employees cannot claim tax relief on the expenses in the event that the employer fails to reimburse them.

   

  Links

   

  COVID-19: Government support tracker

  This tracker covers measures announced by the government to support individuals and businesses, as we get through COVID-19.

   

  Clothing

  Protective clothing or uniforms provided by the employer: when clothing is given (or lent) to an employee which would qualify that employee for a deduction as above, there is no charge to tax or NICs for the employee and no charge to Class 1 or Class 1A NIC for the employer.

   

  Clothing and work-wear

  Self-employed: Tax relief may be claimed on the cost of clothing provided that it is 'Wholly and exclusively incurred' for the purposes of the trade or profession.

   

  External link

   

  HMRC Guidance: How to treat certain expenses and benefits provided to employees during coronavirus (COVID-19)

   

   

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